What is the expression for coughing at the beginning of an utterance officially called?

Question

I was wondering what is the name for the introductory "coughing" in English, i.e. when somebody clears their throat to start their utterance. For example:

"Ekhm... Welcome! How can I help you?"

Is "ekhm" the right way to spell such onomatopoeia? Are there any other ways to spell it?

These posts about the use of fillers and hedges may be of interest to you. — Kit Z. Fox, Aug 15 '11 at 12:37
What is it called, how do you write it, or what is it? It is called a 'clearing of the throat'. It is written 'ahem'. It is an unvoiced (glottal or laryngeal) nasal. Oh..and it acts as an attention getter. — Mitch, Dec 15 '11 at 20:04

score 16 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 15 '11 at 12:38

In English, we would most commonly spell this utterance "Ahem." It is used to somewhat politely gain someone's attention.

It can be considered a hedge or filler, that is, a vocal delay that allows the speaker time to collect their thoughts while speaking.

I understood what you meant by "ekhm," but I have never seen it spelled that way. However, I imagine that the spelling of a word like this could be subject to regional differences.

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 15 '11 at 12:36

2

I'd just write:

Cough cough...

But, if you want the "e" version, it's actually:

Ahem! (not "e")

answered Aug 15 '11 at 12:36

Thursagen

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Thank you very much, it was on the tip of my tongue, but I simply forgot the spelling. I was looking for "Ahem". – Hiena Aug 15 '11 at 12:42

What is the expression for coughing at the beginning of an utterance officially called?

2 Answers2